ABSTRACT
Mobile mapping is concerned with the process of acquiring 3D geospatial data from a mobile vehicle, device or person. Usually a fairly complex system of instrumentation, comprising imaging and ranging devices integrated with a positioning and orientation sub-system, is needed to acquire this data, which are then used to compile digital maps, geo-referenced imagery products, three-dimensional models of terrain and/or cities and the data needed to populate geospatial and civil engineering databases Initially, this development began on a research basis at Ohio State University and the University of Calgary during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the collection of imagery using multiple video or digital cameras mounted on vans and the geo-referencing of the resulting data being carried simultaneously using integrated GPS/IMU units. This data capture operation was then followed by the photogrammetric processing of the digital imagery on a highly automated basis to deal with the enormous number of images that were being acquired. This development gave rise to the establishment of a number of commercial companies that carried out mapping principally for road inventory purposes.
